


A Promise Kept

by Thunderdaughter



Category: Fruits Basket, Fruits Basket (Anime 2019), Fruits Basket - Takaya Natsuki (Manga)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:01:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21981817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunderdaughter/pseuds/Thunderdaughter
Summary: A desperate woman asks young Kazuma Sohma for a promise...and keeping that promise is the best thing he ever did. Mostly fluff, lots of sentiment.
Relationships: Honda Tohru/Sohma Kyou, Sohma Kazuma & Sohma Kyou
Comments: 3
Kudos: 38





	1. A Promise Made

Kazuma Sohma let go of the boy's hand, and smiled as he greeted his mother properly with a bow. "Shigure-kun did very well today. I can see he's been more diligent in his practice than usual."  
"Well, I've got to keep up with A-ya, haven't I? He'd be lost without me." The boy grinned cheekily up at his teacher, who couldn't help but chuckle in response, although privately he thought both Shigure and Ayame would do much better if they were in separate classes. _They feed off of each other's mischief, and try to outdo each other, and chaos ensues..._  
"Thank you for walking back with him. Stay and have some tea, Kazuma-dono?" Nozomi-san smiled cheerfully at him across the kitchen. She was a comfortable, pleasant woman with an easy smile and a warmth about her that made others feel at home in her presence. Though she could not embrace her only son without turning him into a puppy, Kazuma noted that she had her own ways of making him feel loved, and he respected her for it. _Poor Ayame-kun,_ he thought ruefully, _if only his parents could have a bit of Nozomi-san's warmth, he might have less of a need to show off to get attention._  
"It was no trouble. And thank you for the offer, but I need to get back to the dojo."  
She shook her head at him, mother-fashion. "You're far too thin. You need a wife to take care of you, Kazuma-dono, and to give you sons of your own. Say the word and I'd be delighted to set you up with one of my friends' daughters, sweet girls from good families."  
"Thank you very much for your kind consideration. but I don't think I can give any wife the attention she deserves, not with the dojo needing so much work. The beginning of a new business, you know, is always difficult and requires a great deal of commitment." _And I haven't the least interest in women, not that way. Nor men either. It's a shame, perhaps, but it would be even more wrong for me to lead a girl into expectations and then chill her with my indifference. I could be kind, but...kind isn't enough. I wish I could have children some day, perhaps a son to follow in my footsteps, but...my students will have to do._ He thought of his mother's engagement ring, sitting untouched in a drawer, and the words with which she'd bequeathed it to him: _Give this to the woman you love as your father loved me. Let our love be passed on through the generations._ He sighed to himself. _I can't do that, Okaa-san. I'm sorry. I can't love a woman like that, it's not in my nature. Maybe someday...but not any woman I've ever met, at least._  
Nozomi tch'd at him, waving a spoon in his general direction. "You'd be a fine husband and father, you know. Let me know if you change your mind. I know a dozen or so unmarried girls who'd leap at the chance. Pretty girls."  
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Nozomi-san. Shigure-kun, well done today, and continue your practice at home until your next lesson."  
"Yes, Shihan." Shigure bowed, and Kazuma returned the gesture politely, to him and then to his mother. 

Kazuma started his walk back, thinking about his next lesson, enjoying the feel of the warm sunshine on his face. Suddenly, a thin little sound, like a door sliding back, caught his attention, and he glanced over to the house it came from. A small, pale face peeped at him from a barred window, the shutter open just enough to reveal a pair of wide amber eyes and a shock of bright hair. His heart caught inside him for a moment as he realized who it must be. _The Cat-child. The one who inherited the curse from Ojii-san. Poor little boy._ Pity and shame colored his face as he looked quickly at the child, and then away. _I'm sorry, Ojii-san. I should have been kinder to you. And now, another life trapped within walls, never to see the sun or to know real joy. What's the purpose of that? What's the point of putting a curse on a helpless little boy, anyway?_ For a moment, anger surged through him, aimed at whoever it was who had saddled his family with their ancient curse, and he wondered, yet again, why and how it had happened, so long ago. It was bad enough for the Twelve, but for the Cat, it was torture, over and over again, life after life. _O-Jizo-sama, have mercy on the child! On all the children, but particularly the little Cat!_  
As if in response, he heard a voice in the back of his head, gentle and bright as the sound of bells. _When the one who has never been loved is loved, the ancient curse will begin to shatter of its own accord. Will you be the instrument of My mercy, Kazuma-san?_  
He looked up, and caught the amber eyes again, before the shutter was hastily pulled back into place. On impulse, he murmured under his breath, "If I can, I will, O-Jizo-sama. May it be so."  
_So be it. Thank you, my son. You will be well rewarded._  
He shook his head, wondering if he was imagining things. But the memory of those wide, bright eyes stayed with him.


	2. A Desperate Plea

When he arrived back at the dojo, he found a visitor waiting for him, a woman hunched over on the steps, a defeated air surrounding her. With a shock, he recognized her as the little Cat's mother - but there were bruises on her arms and her left eye was blackened, and she huddled in her clothes as if she was trying to hide. His lips tightened, recognizing the signs of her husband's anger. "Hayako-san! Are you well?" He held out his hands to her, his voice concerned and gentle.   
"He's...he's never going to let him out. He told me today...my boy, my boy, my little boy, he's not ever going to let him out of the cage!" She had been weeping, clearly, and her words came out as choked half-sobs.   
"You mean your husband, and your son?" Kazuma sat next to her and took her hands in his, rubbing them soothingly. "I'm afraid that's the family custom - my grandfather was never allowed to walk free, either. I'm so sorry, Hayako-san."  
"Please, please, this can't go on! I can't let him do that to my little Kyo! I don't care about the damned family custom, I won't let them trap my son in this...this living death! Please, Kazuma-dono, you're the only one strong enough and respected enough to stand up to him, the only one who will! You have to help me, please!" She was on her knees in front of him now, weeping, her long hair falling between them like a veil. "I...as long as I'm here, he won't let go of him, but if I....if I...if something happens to me, Kazuma-dono, please, get my boy away from him, take him in, care for him! Let him see the sun, let him go out and play with other children, let him be a child for a little while! Even if they put him in a cage later, let him have whatever freedom you can get him, please!"   
Cold dread welled up in him at her words. _Is she planning on running away? It would serve Yoshiro right, no doubt, but...poor little Kyo. He needs someone to care for him._ He remembered the words that had echoed in his head. _This is what I was charged to do? Then I'll do it. I'll make things right with your spirit, Ojii-san, and I'll get that little boy a childhood, at least._ "All right, Hayako-san. I promise you, if something happens to you, I'll look after Kyo-kun, and I'll make sure he gets the best childhood I can give him."  
Her shoulders slumped in relief, and she kissed his hands. "Thank you, thank you! May all the gods bless you, for being kind to my little boy, when no one else is!"   
He patted her gently on the shoulder. "Can I offer you some tea, or a bit of refreshment, before you go home? You look like you could use a bit of a rest."  
"No, no, thank you, I have to get home immediately. If Yoshiro doesn't find me home when he comes home from work..." She bit her lip, and left the threat unspoken.   
"He has no business treating you so, Hayako-san. Would you like me to speak to Akira-sama on your behalf? Or I could speak to Yoshiro myself, if you'd prefer." _I could beat him senseless, if you'd prefer that. No man worth the name would ever hurt a woman so._  
"That doesn't matter. That's all over, soon. Don't worry about me. But please, look after Kyo!"  
"I will. Don't you fear."  
She stood, suddenly tall, as if she'd just shed a heavy load. "I have no fear, no fear at all, not now. Not as long as you remember your promise." She bowed deeply to him, and left.   
He went inside, his heart troubled, and dreamed that night of a small boy with amber eyes and red-gold hair.


	3. A Loss, and a Gain

A few days later, the news of her death was on the lips of every one of the Sohma children who attended Kazuma's dojo, and his heart froze inside him. _Oh, Hayako-san, poor Hayako-san, how did I not see what you were planning? I should never have let you leave here so easily!_  
Young Ayame shrugged his shoulders at his cousin and best friend. "So, she's killed herself. Only natural, given that she gave birth to a monster. Probably the shame of it caught up to her at last."  
"That's enough of that!" Kazuma's voice barked out, more harshly than he intended. "We will not speak ill of the dead in this dojo. Or of a child, younger than yourself, who cannot help being cursed, Ayame-kun!"  
Ayame ducked his silver head, uncharacteristically shamed. "I apologize, Shihan."  
"Good. Let us leave gossip behind and warm up, if you please. Hajime!"  
At the command, the lesson began, and Kazuma lost himself in teaching for a time. But at the end of the day, he put on his coat, and set out for the Sohma compound, to see Akira-sama.  


He found the head of the family already in consultation with Yoshiro, with his heir Akito sitting quietly on a cushion, observing. Yoshiro was, as usual, raving like the madman Kazuma half-considered him. "I want that monster put in the Cat's Room and left there to rot! He killed his mother! He's ruined my life, and hers too! It's time to stop pretending he's anything more than a monster, and do with him what we've always done with the Cat- keep him caged!"  
"He is only a boy," Akira-sama replied calmly. "And Hayako-san loved him."  
"Not enough to live with the shame of having borne him!"  
"If I may," Kazuma interjected, softly. "With all respect, Akira-sama, you are quite correct, he is only a boy. Let me take him in. Let me train him, in self-discipline and self-control. Time enough to confine him when he is an adult, if that is still deemed necessary..."  
"It is the Cat's fate. He is mine, and I will decide what happens to him!" Akito burst out from the cushion.  
_Such an angry, petulant, thin little voice, to fill the room so._ Kazuma felt chills go down his spine.  
"And so you shall, Akito-sama," he said soothingly, bowing low. "But should not a God show some mercy on a child? Let me have him for a time. Yoshiro-san here clearly does not want him."  
"I don't ever want to set eyes on the monster again!" Yoshiro spat.  
"And surely, Akito-sama, Akira-sama, you both have a great deal to occupy yourself with. Why should you be troubled with him now? Let me take him in. I have room at the dojo. He will be kept quite safe there, and no one will be in danger from him."  
Akito shrugged, sullen. "I don't care. If you want to, you can have the disgusting beast. Just remember, he belongs to me in the end."  
He looked, inquiringly, at Akira-sama, who nodded. "If my heir says it is well, it is well. Take the boy, Kazuma-san, and I hope you do not regret it."  
"I don't believe I will. Thank you, Akira-sama, Akito-sama." He bowed and left, pointedly ignoring Yoshiro. 

The boy stood out at the funeral - he couldn't help it, not with that brilliant hair. But Kazuma could almost taste the fog of malice and menace that surrounded him, the hateful vicious words that pierced it, could see the little boy's balled fists and the tears that he refused to let fall.  
He knelt by the child's side, hearing him repeat, over and over like a mantra, "It's not my fault! It's not my fault!" and at that moment, it was as if his heart broke open in his chest, making room for little Kyo to move in and take it over completely.  
"No, it's not your fault," he said, quietly, and saw startled shock cross the pale, drawn little face. "Will you come and live with me for a while, Kyo?"


	4. Fifteen Years Later: Rewards

Kyo and Tohru arrived before noon, both faces alight. Kazuma rejoiced to see the uncomplicated happiness on his son's face as he embraced him, rubbing his hair in their old affectionate way. "Come in, come in! We're ordering in for dinner- Kunimitsu told me sternly that I was not allowed to try and cook this time, and Hanajima-san had a family commitment." _Or rather, decided that it would be unkind to tease Kyo too much on his last day with family._ He was well aware, to his great relief, that the young woman's crush on him was entirely fictional, or at least heavily exaggerated in order to tease Kyo, but she could also be kind when she wanted. And she loved Tohru well enough to value the man who had won her friend's heart.  
"Thank Kunimitsu-san for me, please! I'd rather not subject poor Tohru to your cooking any more than I have to..."  
"Kyo-kun!" Tohru was half-laughing, half-scandalized. "It's not that bad, truly it isn't, Kazuma-dono!"  
"No need to deny it." He shrugged. "But at least, growing up with me, Kyo had incentive to learn to cook himself. So now he can cook for you, as well as you for him."  
"But I like cooking for Kyo-kun." Kazuma noted the tenderness in her soft brown eyes as she looked over at Kyo, and the matching light in his, and his heart filled to overflowing.  
"You'll have plenty of time to do that later," he said, smiling on them both. "In the meantime, let's get those bags inside, shall we?"  
Dinner was cheerful and festive, full of the foods he knew Kyo loved best, and conversation flowed freely. As they finished, though, Kazuma rose from his seat.  
"Kyo, when I took you in fifteen years ago, I had no idea how much joy and light you would bring into my life. I never thought I'd have children of my own, but...it's been a delight to raise you, and you've grown into a man that any father worth his name would be proud to call son. And now that the curse has been broken, and you've officially broken ties with that...person who called himself your father, and no one can accuse me of having anything untoward to gain by it, I'd, well, I'd like to make things official." He pulled a folder from his desk, and handed it to Kyo, along with a pen. "You are already the son of my heart. I'd like to make you my legal son as well. If you're willing."  
Kyo drew in a sharp breath and took the folder, scanning the adoption documents wide-eyed. "Shishou, I...I...yes, I'd like that too. More than anything." His voice shook a little as he reached for the pen and signed his name. _So easy. So simple. And finally, I have my son._  
Kazuma took the papers back and set them down carefully before he embraced his new son, hard, tears flowing freely down both faces. Tohru's face shone like the sunrise as she watched, and she dabbed happily at her own eyes with her napkin.  
Kyo stepped back after a minute and turned to face Tohru, a new determination dawning in his eyes. Kazuma saw him take a deep breath, and in that moment he knew what was about to happen and a broad smile crept across his face.  
"I guess...well, everyone knows the first duty of a son is to carry on the family, right? And ...well, I meant to wait until I'd had a chance to save up for a nice ring, but...I was gonna ask sooner or later, after all, and it just feels right now. Tohru, you know you're the only woman I've ever loved like this, and you're the only woman I'm ever gonna love, and I love you with all my heart and...well, I'm not great with words, but now that I've finally got a real family, I want you to be part of it." He dropped to one knee and took Tohru's hand. "Tohru Honda, will you marry me?"  
She burst into tears and threw her arms around his neck. "Of course I will!"  
Noting that they were likely to be lost in each other for a few moments, Kazuma turned back to his desk and picked up another piece of paper, and, with some hesitation, a small box.  
When they had reached a state where they could reliably remember that he was in the room, he cleared his throat quietly. "Actually, I...might be able to help with the ring. This was my mother's engagement ring, which she left to me on her deathbed. She asked me to use it when I found the woman who would be the love of my life, to carry on the love she and my father had for each other down through the generations of our family. I never found such a woman, I don't think I ever will, and while I don't regret the way my life has gone, I do regret never being able to fulfill her last wish. It seems to me, though, that it would fulfill her purpose if I passed it down to my son and daughter-in-law instead. Only if it's all right with both of you, though."  
He opened the box and handed it to her, and she took it gently from the box. "Oh, Kazuma-dono, it's beautiful!" She slipped it on to her finger, where it fit perfectly, a curling branch of gold with diamond leaves and a single pink diamond flower in the very center. "Is it...all right, Kyo-kun? I don't want to...if you'd rather I have something you pick..."  
"No, this is...this is..a family thing. That means a lot more to me than...than..." Kyo was clearly not finding it easy to put together the words, and finally settled for "Thank you, Shi-...Otou-san."  
_Father._ Kyo had never called him that before, and the name warmed him. "And there's one more thing. You know the family - well, Akito - paid a substantial sum of money, regularly, to those who raised any child born to the zodiac curse. I didn't want your former father or anyone else to be able to say I took you in for that money, so I've been putting it aside, every month, into a bank account on your behalf. Here's the most recent account statement. It should set the two of you up nicely in your new home."  
Kyo took the paper, and his eyes widened. "I'll say. Otou-san...I don't want you doing everything for me, I can stand on my own...I want to make my own way, like a man."  
"I know, son. I know it well, and I'm proud of you. But a real father doesn't take money for raising his own child. And I'm not the only one who thinks so - Hatsuharu's, Kagura's, Kisa's and Hiro's parents have all put their stipends into bank accounts for their children, too. Hatori's parents left him an account he used to get through medical school, and Ritsu's invested in the onsen they intend to leave to him. And the family, especially Akito - they owe you something for the way they've treated you all these years. All these lifetimes. Take it, son, and make a good life for yourselves. And my grandchildren." He grinned mischievously at Kyo and Tohru, enjoying the pink flush that spread across both their faces. _Grandchildren. That's a lovely word._  
"Thank you, Otou-san. We'll do our best."  
"That's all anyone could expect." _And may you find as true a reward in your children as I have in mine._ "Now, if you're going to study with Haninozuka-sama, there are some things you ought to know..."

The goodbyes had been difficult, but not prolonged. _It is natural for children to grow up and go off on their own, after all. And now he's free._ Having waved the newly-engaged pair off on their journey, until he could no longer see them on the road, he set off himself to the graveyard attached to the main Sohma compound.  
Washing his hands and mouth carefully, he clapped twice, bowed before the statue of O-Jizo-sama who guarded the entrance, and lit a stick of incense. _Thank you, O-Jizo-sama, for my beloved son. And my new daughter. You were right, I have been well rewarded. And I am grateful._  
He felt a warmth on his face, as if the God's hand had reached out to bless his forehead. He smiled, bowed deeply again, and moved into the cemetery.  
He stopped before her grave, and laid the flowers he carried down onto it. Lighting another stick of incense, he spoke softly. "He's free, Hayako-san. Your little Kyo-kun is free. No more curse, no more beads, no more prison. And he's grown into such a kind, strong man - you should be proud of him. He's going to be married, too, and I know you'd love her. She's been so good to him, they care for each other so much, and they make each other so happy. He's done well, Hayako-san, and I know you've been watching and looking after him. Thank you so much. Thank you for our son." He bowed deeply, hoping her spirit could hear his words.  
A gust of wind made the trees above him sway, and blossoms drifted down into his hair like a benediction. It was enough, and he smiled to himself and turned his footsteps back home, where his dojo and the rest of his life's work awaited him.  


Behind him, the shadow of a woman took the God's hand, and stepped, at last, all promises fulfilled, into the Pure Land.


End file.
